Does my Loudr License include distribution outside the United States?

Digital distribution

Loudr is based in the United States, and makes cover song licenses available under U.S. Copyright Law. When you purchase a cover song license from Loudr, you have the option to specify that you wish to distribute the music in digital formats where copies of the song take the form of interactive streams and digital downloads.

Those digital copies need to be made from a copy that lives on a server located in the United States or its territories and possessions (like Guam or Puerto Rico). This is because each country has its own set of copyright laws - when the copies originate from outside the US, other countries’ cover song licensing regulations may apply.

If you’re making your music available through a US-based artist platform like Bandcamp, Patreon, or TopSpin, Loudr’s licenses have you covered.

If you’re using a digital distribution company like CDBaby to make your music available in stores like iTunes, Loudr’s licenses have you covered for digital copies distributed to US-based music services.

For digital distribution outside the US, many of the world’s most popular music services take on the responsibility for clearing and paying for publishing rights in each territory. We highly recommend you check your digital distribution agreement to see whether you’re responsible for getting publishing clearance outside the US.

Physical distribution

When you purchase a cover song license from Loudr, you have the option to specify that you’ll be making copies that take the form of a physical release, such as CDs, vinyl records, cassettes or those crazy laser-cut tree slices that actually play music. Regardless of where in the world you end up selling your physical release, from Albania to Zaire, Loudr’s cover song license will be valid provided that you manufactured the release in the United States or its territories and possessions.

But if your record was manufactured outside of the United States -- for example, pressed at a vinyl plant in Zagreb, Croatia -- Loudr’s licenses will not be valid. You would need to investigate cover song licensing options in the territory where your record was manufactured. In addition, if you wanted to distribute the releases in the United States, you would likely need to obtain an import license under Section 1003 of the U.S. Copyright Law.

This again is because each country has its own set of copyright laws. When copies are being physically made outside the US, other countries’ cover song licensing regulations may apply.